The City of Brandon Planning & Buildings Department is inviting all residents of Brandon to take part in helping to build a Brandon city plan by answering the following question: “What kind of city do you want Brandon to be?”   The City of Brandon has approximately 50,000 people and continues to grow! Now more than ever, having a “city plan” that takes into consideration desires and needs of its residents and businesses is critical. What is a City Plan?  A city plan is a document that guides growth and development in the city. The plan includes many aspects of a city such as housing, sustainability, infrastructure, movement, and more. For Brandon, this plan will guide development for 30 years. Why Now?  The Province of Manitoba requires municipalities to have long-term plans guiding growth and development. With the dissolution of the Brandon & Area Planning District (BAPD) in 2020, Brandon has an opportunity to create a new plan to address our unique needs. Check out this video on the Brandon city plan. The City of Brandon’s Planning & Buildings Department has built a Brandon city plan survey as a first step to better understand the priorities and concerns of Brandon residents. Your feedback will help us develop the city plan. This survey will be open until February 28, 2022. Below is a timeline for the project with three main phases: Listen and Learn, Confirm the Vision, and Draft the Plan. Next Steps  Once the City compiles survey results, we will schedule further meetings, workshops, and events to give residents an opportunity to discuss options and solutions to the issues identified in the survey. Click here to fill out the Brandon city plan survey. Those who complete this survey will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a $50 gift card to a local restaurant! Giveaway contest rules can be found here. More details can be found at www.brandon.ca/cityplan. With many ways to get involved, residents are encouraged to contact Community Planner Sonikile Tembo at 204-729-2523 for further discussion or to answer any questions.

Travel Manitoba is pleased to welcome the new Chief Executive Officer for the Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Association (MITA), Kyle Mason. Mason is an Indigenous leader, change agent, and speaker with extensive experience building non-profits from the ground up. Mason joins MITA with a proven track record of making a difference. In 2006, Mason relaunched a city-wide food bank in Dryden, Ontario leading it to become the largest organization of its kind in the region; in 2008, he launched the North End Family Centre raising nearly $3.5 million in private donations. Mason also launched a consulting company, Kyle J. Mason Consulting, where he works to empower non-profit organizations. As the CEO of MITA, Mason will be tasked with leading the growth and development of the Manitoba Indigenous tourism industry, developing sustainable market-ready and export-ready Indigenous tourism products, and increasing the demand for Manitoba’s Indigenous tourism experiences. Mason will lead MITA working jointly with Travel Manitoba and ITAC to implement the Manitoba Indigenous Tourism Strategy. “Travel Manitoba is excited to work with Mason to recover and build resiliency for the Indigenous tourism industry in Manitoba from the ongoing negative impacts of the pandemic”, said Colin Ferguson, President and CEO of Travel Manitoba. “By working together, the vision for a prosperous Indigenous tourism industry across Manitoba, sharing authentic, unique and engaging experiences can be achieved.”

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On February 6, 2022, police responded to a report of a male causing a disturbance in a business in the 2400 block of Victoria Ave at approximately 1:00 pm.  The male was yelling at customers and had written on the door with a marker.  The 29-year-old male was arrested and lodged at Brandon Police Service to appear in court today on a charge of Mischief to Property Under $5000.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On February 3rd, 2022, at approx. 4:30 pm police conducted a traffic stop in the 1800 block of Middleton Ave.  The operator of the vehicle was found to be suspended from driving and during the encounter police observed open liquor in plain view.  The two occupants of the vehicle were detained and while searching the vehicle police located a quantity of cocaine. Upon arrest more drugs were located on one of the subjects.  The 27 and 21 year old males were released on court conditions to appear for their charges on April 14th, 2022.

Over the past several years, Landmark Planning & Design has been assisting Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) with project communications. MTI has hired Coco Paving (Canada) Inc to undertake the construction work for the Daly Overpass Project. Construction is set to begin with equipment mobilizing to the site and construction detours being established in the next few weeks. Two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) will be maintained throughout the project period, with a few minor exceptions for brief periods. Further updates will be provided in advance of changes in traffic accommodation during construction. Project completion is anticipated by the end of Summer 2024. Current project information will be available in the next few days on the Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure project webpage: https://www.gov.mb.ca/mit/wms/structures/daly_overpass/index.html